A Scenic Cable Car System Near the Zoo
Taking the Maokong Gondola is a fun and kid-friendly activity that offers some amazing views of Taipei. The gondolas depart near the Taipei Zoo, and the walkway from the MRT to the gondolas takes visitors through Taipei Zoo Animal Conservation Park, which has large pictures of animals (and a small playground playset). If you take the gondolas on weekdays the wait can be very short 10-20 minutes, however prepare to wait much longer on weekends and holidays.
Regular cabins can fit 6 people, and the special glass-bottomed crystal cabins fit 5 people. The gondola route is 4 km, the longest in Taiwan, and the main stops include Taipei City Zoo South Station, Zhinan Temple station, and Maokong Station. Taipei City Zoo station offers a connection to the zoo. Zhinan Temple station highlights include a Lover’s shrine, Zhinan temple, a motherly love garden, and a large stone dragon near a wishing fountain. The last station is Maokong station. There’s a range of eating options at this station: convenience store, food court, street vendors, and tea houses.
A good child-friendly activity from the final Maokong MRT station is to walk the camphor tree trail, a 2km paved trail (doable, but a little bumpy for strollers), where visitors can walk by rice fields and a fish pond, take photos with a water buffalo cart and village bike, walk through a small farm, and visit a little village nearby.
Address: No. 8 Xinguang Road, Section 2, Wenshan District, Taipei, Taiwan
Hours: 9AM - 9PM Tues-Thu & Sun / 9AM-10PM Fri / 8:30AM-10PM Sat (Closed Monday, except 1st Monday of every month)
Phone: 02 2181 2345
Find out more:
Name and Address in Chinese:
名稱: 動物園站
地址: 116台北市文山區新光路二段8號號
Things to do with kids:
If you’re coming from the MRT, walk through Taipei Zoo Animal Conservation Park and see the animal pictures, and maybe visit the little park playground.
Ride the gondolas and take photos of what you see!
Visit Zhinan Temple station - see the dragon in the pond next to the station, before exploring the temple a short 5 minute walk away.
Eat at Maokong station, there’s a lot of different foods to choose from.
Visit the charcoal kiln and pig farming display, which is a short walk from Maokong station.
Walk the scenic Camphor Tree Trail.
Before going home for the day, try to catch the water dancing next to the base station (Taipei City Zoo station).
Additional Information:
The Mekong Gondola is regularly suspended due to the weather, so make sure to check the ‘Operation Bulletins’ on their website.
Kids under 6 are free, and adult fare to go from first to last station is NT$120.
